


Cough It Out

by orphan_account



Category: In the Heights - Miranda
Genre: I Tried, I can only write angst and smut so I mean, Lmao this isn't even fluffy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 15:03:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10124243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sonny is sick and Pete just wants to get him some medicine.





	

The smell of vanilla extract and flour drifted into Sonny’s room with the current from the building’s open windows. On any other day, the smell would have drawn him out of his room to see what was cooking. But today, all he did was shove his head under his fluffy pillow to ward off the offensive smell. Unfortunately, the smell stuck in his room like a wad up piece of gum under his shoe and made his stomach turn. He had woken up this morning with a horrible fever. To make matters worse, the blackout hadn’t been fixed overnight. He pulled the blanket closer to his chin and sniffled. Usnavi didn’t know that he was sick yet. If he found out, he would end up treating him like more of a child than he already does, so Sonny was as discreet as possible. Well, if you can call not leaving your room at all “discreet.”

The soft light coming in through his window seemed all too bright for his pounding head. He half-heartedly glared at the window, as if his curtains would shut with just the sheer force of his annoyance. Apparently, they wouldn’t. His head throbbed in retaliation and he screwed his eyes shut in an effort to stop the pain. There was no medicine in their house, and he couldn’t ask Usnavi to pick some up for him. If he did, Usnavi would just put a hand on his forehead and try to make him soup (one of Abuela’s recipes) that would be “sure to cure him.” It’s not that Sonny didn’t appreciate it. It’s just that he would rather not spend his last dying hours being coddled like a toddler.

A sudden rapping on his window made Sonny’s eyes open in surprise. He blinked quickly, trying to adjust to the lighting. Outside of his window stood Pete, crouching on the fire escape with his backpack over one shoulder. Sonny shouldn’t have been surprised, really. After last night, it wasn’t a shocker that Pete would come to check on him. He wanted to see him, he really did, but he was in his pajamas with a noteworthy case of bedhead. Plus, he was a sniffling mess and he felt like any sudden movements would cause him to hurl. Quickly, Sonny shut his eyes again. Maybe if Pete thought he was asleep, he would come back later, when Sonny wasn’t moments from death. But, just as soon as he closed his eyes, Pete tapped on the window again. Damn it, busted.

Sonny groaned and kicked his blanket off of him. Slowly, he stumbled out of his bed, taking a moment to regain his balance after all of his blood rushed to his head. He didn’t make an effort to fix his hair or straighten his shirt. He was going to look like utter shit either way. Sonny shuffled to his window and pulled it open. “What?” he muttered, sounding awfully congested, as he turned away from the window to lie back down. The sound of Pete climbing into his room followed. 

“You look fucking terrible,” Pete noted, dropping his bag onto the floor. He turned around to shut Sonny’s window again. There was a reason that Pete had to sneak into Sonny’s room, and he wasn’t trying to get caught. Of course, that reason’s name was Usnavi.

“I feel fucking terrible,” He replied weakly. It was okay if Pete knew that he was sick. Pete was his boyfriend, and a caring one at that, even if he didn’t act it in public. Sonny climbed back onto his bed and leaned against the headboard. He pulled his blanket over his lap in an attempt to get comfortable again. Pete furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head like a lost puppy. 

“How fucking terrible? You’re flushed, babe,” Pete commented. He walked over to the bed and crouched down on the floor. Gently, he placed a hand against Sonny’s cheek and pursed his lips. “Burning up, too.”

Sonny scrunched his nose up in distaste. “Pretty fucking terrible. I’m freezing, but then I’m hot. It’s like purgatory or some shit,” He complained, leaning into Pete’s touch. Another hot flash twisted into him like a hot spear and he moved his legs from under the blanket. 

Pete ran a hand through Sonny’s hair. “Does Usnavi know? Should I go tell-“

“No, don’t,” Sonny interrupted him shakily, “I’m already feelin’ nauseous, but I’ll really be sick if he starts babyin’ me.” Sonny moved away from Pete to sneeze. “I’m dying, Pete. This is the last you’ll ever see of me, make it count,” he whined through sniffles. Pete rolled his eyes.

“Don’t be dramatic, it’s just a fever. Unfortunately, I’ll probably be seeing a lot more of you,” He said. “I won’t tell Mommy Usnavi, but will you at least take some medicine?” Pete tried. His heart took a beating at every little sniffle.

Sonny closed his eyes. “Don’t got any,” he muttered. He blindly reached out to grab Pete’s hand. “I’ll be fine, really,” He told him.

Pete scoffed. “Bullshit. I can go and grab some medicine from your guys’ store,” he offered.

Sonny shook his head. “Nah, man. Usnavi wants your head on a stick,” He said, gripping Pete’s hand a bit tighter.

Pete let out a small laugh. “Can’t kill me if I’m willingly handin’ over cash,” he pointed out. Sonny laughed weakly.

“Fine, but I’m coming with you, just in case he comes at you with a baseball bat,” Sonny insisted, finally opening his eyes again. A sudden chill shook his body as the rapid hot-cold cycle continued. He winced and pulled the blanket back over his legs.

Pete shook his head quickly. “No, you aren’t. You’re staying in this bed until you can speak without sounding like you’re being strangled,” he ordered. He wasn’t a doctor by any means, but it didn’t take a PhD to tell when someone needed bed rest. Pete dropped Sonny’s hand and stood back up. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Fuck off,” Sonny groaned, standing back up with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. “I’m coming with you. See? I’m well enough to go,” He said, pulling the blanket tighter around him discreetly. Pete raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

“Well enough to go to a hospital, maybe,” Pete drawled. In reply, Sonny gave him his best glare. Pete raised his hands in defeat. “Fuck, you’re in your pajamas, man,” he pointed out, trying to convince Sonny to lie back down.

“I co-own the bodega. I’ve gone in there in worse,” Sonny countered. “Besides, the store is literally downstairs,” he continued. He tried to look serious, but his nose was red and his curls were going in every direction, so he looked more adorable than the previous. Pete ran a hand down his face and sighed in defeat.

“Fine, whatever. Won’t Usnavi see that you’re sick, though?” Pete asked.

Sonny shrugged. “I can be a pretty good actor,” he replied.

Pete nodded slowly. “Yeah, that could work if he doesn’t look at your face, or hear your voice, or notice that you just rolled out of bed. Better yet, if he doesn’t notice you’re there at all. We can easily accomplish that if you would just lie back down,” he said, nodding at the messy bed.

Sonny blinked slowly. “I’m fine. Vamos,” He said weakly, leading the way out of his room.

“If you were fine, we wouldn’t have to be buying you medicine,” Pete muttered under his breath, but he followed Sonny out anyways. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get Sonny back into the bed.

Sonny shuffled down the hall slowly with the blanket wrapped tightly over his shoulders. It only took thirty seconds before he regretted his decision of leaving his bed. His stomach flipped dangerously and he grimaced. It would definitely be hard to hide from Usnavi if he hurled on the floor. Pete walked behind Sonny, matching his pace. Usually, he hated slow walkers. They were his worst pet peeve, even if they were senile. But, he wasn’t annoyed by this slow walker. He looked like he could crumble like a fucking biscuit if he moved too quickly, and Pete’s chest was getting hit by a semi. Gently, he placed a hand on the small of Sonny’s back and gave him an encouraging smile. Sonny just sniffled in response.

The walk down to the store was in comfortable silence, only an occasional sneeze or sniffle breaking it. Pete kept sending worried glances to Sonny. He chewed on his lip worriedly. “You know you didn’t have’ta come,” he said softly. Sonny tensed his back.

“Usnavi would just kick you out of the shop if I ain’t with you,” he explained. Another chill shook his body. “Fuck, someone has to turn on the goddamn heat,” he complained, his voice wobbling slightly.

Pete’s face melted into one of concern. “Babe, it’s the middle of summer, and we’re in a blackout,” he said. The heat was intense, and Pete would kill for a cold water. He wrapped an arm around Sonny and pulled him close. “Let’s just turn back, okay? He won’t kick me out without ya,” he tried, slowing down their pace. Sonny just shook his head and continued to walk forwards. Pete sighed. Well, he couldn’t say he didn’t try.

Together, they came down the stairs leading into the store. The place was practically empty, only a customer here and there, due to the fact that most of the products had gone bad once the blackout cut off their refrigeration. The early light washed the store in a soft brightness and the sound of coffee brewing greeted their ears. The scene was too peaceful for their situation. The few customers in the store glanced up at them as they descended, but paid them no real mind. Pete chuckled, they must be used to Sonny coming down in pajamas. The floor of the shop was cracked and chipped from years of use, and the walls were showing obvious signs of wear from repeated repainting. But, the shop was homey to all who stepped inside, whether it be from the familiar smell of coffee or the welcoming environment. Pete moved his arm away from Sonny and scanned the shop for Usnavi.

“There,” Pete whispered, pointing towards the cash register where Usnavi was making small talk with the man who ran the liquor store. Sonny stood on his tip toes to glance over Pete’s shoulder at him. “Okay, let’s do this,” Pete muttered. He took Sonny’s hand and walked out into the open. Sonny straightened his back and cleared his throat in an attempt to seem healthier than he really was. They made it approximately five steps before Usnavi noticed them.

“Sonny! You’re late! Three hours late, to be exact,” Usnavi called to them without taking his eyes off of the items he was scanning. He glanced up quickly and rolled his eyes. “Three hours late and in your pajamas, too,” he noted, continuing his work. Sonny stared at him blankly for a moment, the illness causing a bit of a lag in his reflexes.

“Right, yeah, I was, um, busy, you know, cuz?” He stuttered out. Pete rolled his eyes. Right, he can be a “great actor”. He placed a hand on Sonny’s shoulder and gently moved him aside.

“Sonny was just working on some summer homework upstairs, man,” Pete supplied. Usnavi looked up at them with narrowed eyes. If Pete didn’t know any better, he would have compared him to a soccer mom who just caught her son stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

“And he couldn’t tell me that himself because..? Wait, better yet, why were you upstairs with him? Hell, how did you even get upstairs?” Usnavi questioned. Sonny was swaying slightly where he was standing and Usnavi eyed him suspiciously. “You know what,” he continued, “I don’t want to know. I really don’t. What do you want, Pete?” Usnavi badgered. Sonny looked between Pete and Usnavi. The plan seemed to be working so far: Usnavi wasn’t hovering over him like a worried mother and Pete wasn’t sitting on the curb outside. Unfortunately, his head was still pounding and his eyes were watery, so if they could hurry this exchange up, that would be fantastic.

“Do y’all sell fever relief medicine here?” Pete asked, looking at Usnavi’s forehead rather than his eyes. Usnavi gave him an unimpressed look.

“You don’t look sick. I’m not going to sell you medicine as some sort of drug substitute,” Usnavi said. Pete’s eyebrows shot up. That was just offensive; He had never done drugs in his life! He was just about to tell Usnavi off against his better judgement when a sniffle from behind him reminded him of the cause he was working towards. He breathed in deeply and sighed before coughing into his elbow.

“I am sick,” Pete insisted, trying his hardest to sound congested. Sonny muffled a laugh behind him and Pete kicked his ankle, faking a sneeze to cover Sonny’s yelp. Usnavi pressed his lips tight together. Behind Pete, Usnavi could clearly see Sonny’s red nose and flushed cheeks, never mind the pajamas and blanket. They really must think that he’s stupid. Usnavi sighed and shook his head.

“Yeah, okay, Pete. Sonny, go back upstairs. I’ll bring you some medicine and soup on my break. Pete, go home for god’s sake,” he ordered. Both Sonny and Pete’s faces dropped at the same time.

“Good going,” Sonny muttered under his breath. This was it. He was on his death bed and the last thing he was going to see was Usnavi babying him. Pete looked over his shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look. Sonny now had downcast eyes to accompany his downcast look. It hurt him to see Sonny look so downtrodden. This was Pete’s idea, and his fault, so he was going to get him out of it.

“’Navi-“

“Don’t call me that,” Usnavi interrupted. Pete nodded quickly.

“Usnavi,” He corrected himself, “Mira, I can watch Sonny, okay? I won’t kill him, you know that,” He offered, putting on his kindest voice. Sonny looked up at him appreciatively.

“I’m not worried about you killing him. I’m more worried about what other…stuff you guys would be getting up to,” Usnavi explained, grimacing. Truthfully, he wasn’t actually worried about that. He just needed any reason to get Pete out of his building. “I know you wouldn’t kill him. Because, if you did, I would string you up by your toes and feed you to the pigs.”

Sonny scoffed. “Cuz, I’m on my deathbed, here. The only action I’m going to be getting is from running to the bathroom to fucking hurl. Just let him stay, please?” He asked with a trembling voice. Pete made puppy dog eyes and looked to Usnavi, who threw his hands up in defeat.

“Fuck, fine. Just…don’t do anything stupid,” He nagged. “I’ll be up to check on you guys, too, so you two better be in there. I’ll bring you your medicine, too.”

“That lack of trust hurts,” Pete said sarcastically, mockingly putting a hand over his chest. Sonny rolled his eyes and grabbed Pete’s hand to pull him away from the counter.

“Let’s go before he changes his mind, Pete,” he said. He dropped Pete’s hand abruptly to sneeze into his elbow. “Sorry,” he muttered between sniffs. He avoided eye contact with Usnavi so that he could pretend he didn’t see the concerned look he threw at him.

Pete shook his head slowly. “Don’t be, mi corazón,” He said sweetly, “Come on, let’s go watch a movie so you can sleep.” Sonny smiled shyly up at him and led the way back to his room, sniffling the whole way.


End file.
